Adjustable shore



March l, 193.2. C, M, MARKHAM 1,847,660

ADJUSTABLE SHORE Filed March ll. 1927 fl' Z gwnlae'ntof,

559/91 f5 /7 MF1/AW@ Patented Mar. 1, 1932 CHARLES M. MARKHAM, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA ADJUSTABLE SHORE j Application led March 11, 1927. Serial No. 174,657.

It is the object of my invention to produce an adjustable shore which may be economically manufactured and which will be positive and safe in operation.

l: accomplish the aboveobject'by forming my shore of two parts oneof which serves as a base and in this base supporta dog which may be moved into and out of locking engage-k ment with the other shore-part by a wedge or other suitable means which operates normally to hold the dog in locking position.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my shore; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 illustrating the construction of the locking dog and the wedge which operates it; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a fragmental elevationV showing a raisingv lever` applied to my shore. y n

As stated above, my shore'includes a base conveniently formed of a base plate 10 and two upright opposed channels 11 at the upper ends of which is located a head 12. If desired, suitable cross pieces 13 may be provided between the base plate 10 and the head 12. The other part of the shore is in the form of a rectangular member conveniently a square timber 15 which is received within the channels 11 and is vertically slidable therein. At one side of the head 12, it is provided with a hollow extension 17 having a bottom wall 18 and a top wall 19 which are both provided with slots for the reception of a movable wedge or key 20. Desirably, the sides of the key 20 are grooved so as to make the key of I-shaped cross section. Desirably, also, the bottom and top walls 18 and 19 of the `headeXtension 17 are provided with ears 22 which 0 enter the grooves in the opposite faces of the key 20, such grooves originally extending to one end of the key and being closed after the key is inserted in the head extension 17 by means of ribs 23 which may be formed by.

welding` and which extend between the flanges 24 of the key to prevent removal of the key after it is once in place.

Within vthe hollow head-extension 17 is located a dog 26. This dog lits loosely within the head extension 17 in order that it may be Vforce Vof gravity.

kcontactwith the part Vagainst which itis to act, the Vwedger2() is driven downward in the free to move in and out vor 'up and down. Y Passing horizontally through thisr dog parallel to the adjacent face of the member 15 is a rotatable pin 27 provided with a transverse T-shaped groovevfor the reception of the inner key-flange 24:, the outer face ofthe dog 26 being notched to permit passage 'of the key. Theinner face of the dog 26, or that face which engages the member 15, is roughened and is conveXly curved eccentric tothe aXis'GO of the pin 27 so that it will always engage the member 15 ata point above the axis of the pin. This is clear from Fig. 3. The wedge 20 is preferably arranged so that its wider end is uppermosty in order that the force of'gravity acting on it will tend to draw it downward, thus forcing the dog 26 inward against the face of the member 15. The lock- -ing action thus obtained is sufficient to hold the member 15 in any position against the 70 To raise the member 15 to its desired location, I may employ the raising mechanism i1- lustra'ted in Fig. 11 which consists of an operating lever 30 connected by a link 31 to a yoke 32 which straddles the timber 15 above the head 12. 1The inner end of the lever 30 vrests von a lip 33y provided on the side of the 'head 12 to act as a fulcrum for the lever. The

yoke 32 is somewhat wider than the member '90 15 in order that it will grip such member only when tilted relatively thereto. l/Vith this construction', alternate raising and lowering of the outer end of the lever 30 will produce a step-by-step upward movement of the mem- 'ber 15,'the dog 26 operating to hold the member against downward movement when the yoke 32 is being lowered thereon.

When' the member 15 has been raised into 9c head-extension 17. This downward movement of the wedge tends to move thedog 26 inwardly into irm engagement with the member 15. `At the same time, since the force exerted on the dog by the wedge is applied below the point of engagement of the dog 26 and member 15, downward movement fof the wedge alsotends to tilt the dog to raise its inner end thus raising the member 15. By lof this action the dog 26 and member 15 move from the full line position illustrated in Fig. 3, which position they occupy at initial locking of the dog, to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 3. In addition to the up- Ward movement of the member 15 produced l pression brace may be desired.

by tilting of the dog 26, a further tendency to upward movement is produced by inclining the bottom wall 18 of the head extension so that it will act as a guide to cause the dog 26 to be raised when moved inward thereon.y

To make the head of the wedge more accessible when it is being driven into locking position, the wedge is preferably curved outward as is clear from Fig.,3. i

In this application, -my shore is described as if it occupied a vertical position, for this is 'the position in which the shore is most frequently used. The shore can, however, be used in any position where an adjustable com- I claim as my invention:

1. A shore comprising a first member provided with a loop as an element of a telescopic joint, asecond member shiftab'le out of said loop in telescopic joint assembly with the first member, a gripping element mounted in the loop for movement relatively to the members, a wedge actuatorfor the gripping element, and intermediate transmission means between the wedge and element, shift- 'ping the element into gripping position with the second member and thereby outward from the loop. Y l

, 2. A telescopic connection embodying a pair of members, a fitting engaging one member a r1 a element 1n the litt-1mT enOaUinG the 7 D .b

othermember, a directing mounting in the fitting determining an aXis for rocking of the element, and thrust means for shifting the element and mounting toward the direction of extent of one of the members from the fitting.

and an actuator forA said shifting of the element mounted by one of the members and movable relatively to the members and element.

"6. A telescopic connection embodying a pair of members, a fitting engaging one member providing a pocket, a member engaging element in the pocket shiftable relatively to the fitting and into engagement with one member and relatively tothe other member,

, a rocker in the fitting engaging the element,

and an actuator providing-a bearing for engaging and shifting the rocker.

7 A telescopic .connection embodying a pair of members, a fitting engaging a member providing a pocket, a memberY engaging grip element in the pocket, and thrusting control means for shifting the element relatively to the fitting away from the direction of a member extent from the fittingV comprising a working member rockably seated in the element, and a wedge for operating the working member. 7

In witness'whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this flthday of March, A. D. one thousand nine hundred f and twenty seven.

CHARLES M. MARKHAM.

3. A telescopic load receiving connection embodying a pair of members, a fitting engaging one member, a gripping element coaeting to connect the fittingy to the other member, there being a directing mounting determining an aXis for rocking the element as to the fitting, and thrust means for shifting the element and mounting longitudinally of the connection andk against the load receiving direction of the connection.

4:. A telescopio load receiving connection embodying a lower `first member, an upper second member, a fitting therebetween, a gripping element assembled with the membersbyjthe fitting, there being a directing mounting determining an axis for rocking of the element as to the fitting, and thrust means i for shifting the element and mounting for moving the element relatively to the first member and along the second member against the direction of load` for thrusting of the second member longitudinally out of the lirst member. Y Y 

